Device for operating car couplers



Sept. 21 [1026. 1,600,801

s. H. CONWELL DEVICE FOR OPERATfNG CAR COUPLERS Filed Jan. 11. 1926 6" 7 .Ezaenior) '6amueJHU0zm/eJ1 erel parts which collapse meets Patented Sept. ai, 1926;

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-COMPANY, onoiiioaceo, ILLINOIS,lAiCPRPDRLB-TtQNOF D LAWARE; I 1" iinvrcn r03 ornnari iie can co'nrnnas."

' Application filedilanuary 11, Serial-N 0. V

This particular invention relates towhat is generally known in'the art asa rotating type of uncoupling device for car couplers and comprisesnanoperating rod. revolubly with brackets or nv mounted on the gear any other convenient manner, which rod is usually bent downwardly at theouter end to form a handle, and is bent outwardly at its'inner end to form a crank projecting C ter of the car. I I y couplerihas a-knuckle pivoted to the couplerv 1'5"head and provided with a tailbehindwhich through and} 1 above over the coupler, which crank with ahorizontally positioned eye with its axis perpendiculan to the longitudinal cen The-standard verticalpla'ne thelockis placed; The lock lifter protrudes y a and its axis is perpendicular to .the longi- 'tudinal'center of the car. .This size endposition has'been deternnned by the'Amer'ican Railroad Association and is standard for the majority of couplers nowinservice.

My invention resides'ln theconnection between the eye on the crank of the operating rod and the eye on the coupler lock lifter. When the'handle is raised the' rod isrei a wardly longitudinally of volved and the crank is thereby raised The coupler and draft and also moves Isidewise inroundm curves, etc, and the connection between the coupler and the operating rod must permit such movements disengaged from' each other' or from either 40 rod. It is frequently necessaryto uncouple without the component parts becoming the coupler or the operating cars when theyare coupled together and in contact so that it is impossible to throwthe knuckle of either coupler. To nieetthis con- 7 dition couplers arefdesigned to assume a lock set position wherein the lock lifter can be raised from behind the tail of the knuckle andretainecl' in such a position by meansfwithin the head of the coupler inde pendent of the operatingrod; This allows the operating rod to fall'closeto thelock lifter. ToaccOmmOdate' such a, movement the connection between the operating rod crank and the couplerjmust; fore-shorten; which is accomplished by making it of saw is provided the coupler head and 1S provided with afhorizontally positioned This lock liftereye'is 1 in diameter,

moves backwardly and for- I the car in bufilng'f 'hinge jointo or a slidin g connection to each 7 other. The operating rod, as abovev de 'n use on'hundre'ds of a chains proved unsatisfactoiy and were re-.

by the Interstate Commerce .(lommission,

sponsible' for a little more than'half or the I defects for uncoupling. mechanisms reported I These I chains were defective because they behind the coupler horn and being smashed b'etween'the coupler lhorn and the striking casting by impact of the ca'rsin coupling.

My 'device isdesigned sothat the compo- ,nent, parts cannot become disconnected from' each other orfroin the operating rod orthe coupler; The connection between the com;

ponent'partsand also their connections to the operating 'rod' and the-coupler are such Ythat the device cannot become kinked.- which unlocks the couplerby raisingthe lock Formerly when: a brakemanwanted a small quired and applied it tothe car, which ac too short chains reported by the commiswere broken, missing, kinked andfeither too V which W111 eliminate the defects i chain to repair one oftheoldconnections he 7 simply guessed as to the amountof chain resion. This isnot-possible with-my device.

Another object of the invention is tofpro vide a device wherein the componentparts are identical and duplicates therefore, in-" terchanfgeable- Duplication, of course, also simplifies; manufacture, handling, account v ing, etc;

' Another object isto' obtain "a device where;

in thecomponent parts areoduplicates so that they cannot be wrongfully applied to the car or toeach other.

Another Obj ctof the invention is to pro- I I v vide a device ,which can be assembled at'the unit 9 point of inanufacture and shipped as a to thepoint of application-tea car and which can be applied to the. car bya very simple operation which requiresno specialtools or ppl an s. A,

W ththis arrangement it" is not necessary to seine-scene e eraaag red-j tra n the car 60 arm to. the lock lifter of the coupler which i or totake t'he coupler apart onder "ltd-install the device This may be desirablelberi;

I ;-cause it is generally necessary toremolijethe V V brackets from the car in order to remoif e the V operating rod andonsteel carsthese brackets i are usually riveted toflthe 'car, TWhllG ion,

I [wooden cars they are. bolted to the car .in

such a mannerthat' tlie inside' en ols oil-"the y v flbolts are ,usually inaccessible-Q It is undesfirable to' remove the -lock "block or 'lock block lifter from the coiipler because of the,

v lifiiculty 'in re assemhling the, mznem co "i plicated coupler; -"Furtheimore, "if la confnector can be connecte totherod and coufpler" whilethe separtsaie in their service pof siti on on the ;car',fit would also "be possible co 'nnector to bee ing disconnected from thferod 'or coupler ,orboth 1H'S8IV1G'6,

j g-gether to" move laterally of the car." railway car the operating rod ljis usuallymounted on the end sill Q-by brack Fig. 2 shows the assembled:connector,

' ii IF, 3 shows a side "View ottheieassem bledconnector. Fig. tfsliows F co nnector-..

members of the gether. Figs.

teases when the'c anemic-e the coner, .:rod, and: connector assume feyery "posi :sib le relative position;

In thedrawings:

g. lshows-a ar lied thereon."

' one of I the members the I: .i Fig. 5 shows a top new 5f Fig- 4.

' ri s. 6 may 3116mm springiin',detail. EFigsQ 8 ands show a form wherein the, vconnector are hinged toand'11 show a form whereinthe members of the connector "are hinged toets 3; The usual operating rod has "a: handle 4 and acrankarm 5,1which armv ha's a hori zontally disposed eye 6; The lockilifterfi of 1 i the coupler 8 also hasa horizontally disposed I eye 9 and 'my invention resides connectorfor. these two mentionedeyes:

iThe connectoracomprises two members 10.11rhinged together: to permit the necessary .foreshortening. to allow the 1operat iinglrod handles to return to normal posiw'ti'oi'r when the coupler, is locksetiandupermit the coupler to move longitudinally loft-he caninservice. VT he members'cmaybe flegribly connected two; eyes 12 3; to permit rel ative movement, between the members in all directions.

Each member of the assembled connector ?has an open hook 14:, the. hookgof the upper ,;member being ll lSQI'ijGClftllIOllgh theeye 6 a'oi the operating. rod and, the hook of the lower member being insertedithrough the eye 3 7 of the couplerlock:lifter. Each member I is providedwith a spring 15 whifclrisjsecured to it ,in such a nnanller asto, close-thefihook,

,-thereby fprming an eye. This spring pref erably bears upon the inside of the hook so hinged together by the: pivot pin 18 .proVi or' other securing meansrfro1n -binding two members together and ai oere'heves it ili lirj rivet of the shear stresseswbetweeirthe two with invention ap "are preferably duplicates.

the member.

pler lockli'ft-er underservi'ce conditions. o

connected new the operatin rod or ecu- '(that'the memhermaybe snappedthrough the eye ,otthe operating rod (or coupler lock, li lfter) whereby ,the nembergcannot}. become 1,lI1OVe,itlie n gember the spring .is' pressed L back with the thumb or any convenient 'meansis I o Figs. Sand 9 show a form wherein the upper and lower members'YCIG lZ) are with a fer-rule 19 which prevents th members. T The members 'are pret el ably cluplic'a'tes'x f *Q V Figs-10' and 11 show a 'fornrwherei' the: I 7

upper f and lower: members are:

hinged together bythe piyo'ti22. Eachmlem-Y ber' has jaws f 23 whicl1 ;.ar'e yproyi-ded. with holes T which register with corresponding holes in the other member to; accommodate J the pivot' pin 22, andisutficie nt play or'clei re" v ance :is provided-Ito perm-it nfreedom f ofp movementiin service] Withf.tllis efl'ange:

' ment' the pin is inrquadruple sheanandiis pre-.

Vented from bending, LWhic'hQbendiiiQg would restrict Lthe hinge "action of the connect on? 7 This double gbutt hinge icohstructifii ialso retalns thectwo members inal gnment against lateral deflection fatrightangles to thezpen missible Fhinge 'movement. .These gmembers I claim:" i '1. Ina railway car,:the combinationof a 'p re e erwith-fgn eye," an

operating rold having an eye, and ajconneceach member having a hook -which engages one vor said eyes and a spring element to close the hook',- which element'is-secured to 3.]Inarailway car,,the eognbinationrof a j coupler having a, lock lifter with an eye, an operating I'OdgllfiVlIlg an eye, and a con- I1e ctor comprisiriglwo duplicate members hinged together, each memberhavlng a hook iw engages. o 'o z a deye' ian writ-i s element" to close the hook, which elementis secured to themember.

. 4. In a railway-car, thecombination of v u -h'zw & ee i'fi riwi h eej el in pe at -,h r n e a conn tor comprising two jmembers (flexibly, connected together, each member hay ng ahook which engages one of sald eyes and a spring element secured to the shank of the member with its opposite end engaging the inside of the hook.

5. In a railway car, the combination of a coupler having a lock lifter with an eye, an operating rod having an eye, and a connector comprising two duplicate members flexibly connected together, each member having a hook which engages one of said eyes and a spring element secured to the shank of the member with its opposite end engaging the inside of the hook.

6. In a railway car, the. combination of a coupler having a lock lifter with an eye, an operating rod, and a member having a hook which engages said eye, and a spring element to close the hook, which element is secured to the member, said member operatively connected to said operating rod.

7. In a railway car, the combination of a coupler having a lock operating rod, and a member having a hook which engages said eye, and a spring element secured to the shank of the member with its opposite end engaging the inside of the hook, said member operatively connected to said operating rod. Y I

8. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod comprising a pair of hook members connected together, each member, having a spring element secured thereto to close the hook.

9. A connector for a railway car coupler and its operating rod comprising a pair of hook members connected together, each member having a'spring element secured to the shank of the member and its opposite end engaging the inside of the hook.

SAMUELH. CONWELL.

lifter with an eye, an 

